WestwardAI Consulting

Local market data · Architects · New York

AI for architects in New York

The New York metro area had 2,283 architects in 2022, the most of all 333 US metros and 10% of all in the country. They employed 17,669 people at an average of $96,611 a year. 86% have fewer than 10 staff, so the same few people answer the phone, book, follow up and do the paperwork. Those are the jobs AI tools take on today.

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Architects in New York vs the US

New York metroUnited States
Businesses2,28322,619
People employed17,669182,082
Average staff per business7.78.0
Average yearly pay per employee$96,611$96,154
Share with fewer than 10 staff86%81%

Pay here is about the same as the national average for architects, so an hour of admin costs about what it does elsewhere. The average architect here has 7.7 people on payroll, 4% lower than the US figure of 8.0.

How big architects in New York are

Fewer than 5 staff1,519 (67%) US 63%
5 to 9451 (20%) US 18%
10 to 19178 (8%) US 10%
20 to 4984 (4%) US 6%
50 or more47 (2%) US 3%

Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.

Architects by county in the New York area

New York County has the most, with 816 of the metro's 2,283 (36%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, New York ranks 9th for average pay and 2nd for the share of small firms.

CountyBusinessesEmployeesAvg pay
New York County81610,802$106,695
Kings County2831,140$73,571
Suffolk County187795$92,936
Westchester County157653$82,775
Queens County132486$70,039
Nassau County131466$67,288
Bergen County106761$86,432
Essex County66401$81,459
Monmouth County55264$80,273
Morris County49413$96,680
Ocean County40186$63,925
Union County40202$76,847

10 smaller counties not shown. Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.

Where AI helps a architect first

An architecture firm gets the most from AI on the work around the drawings: answering project inquiries, chasing proposals, writing meeting notes and tracking where each project stands. The design and the stamp stay with the licensed architect. Start with whatever costs you the most evenings.

What your team's admin hours cost in New York

Change any number. The starting values are the New York averages above; the hours and the share are yours to set.

Those hours cost you$147,200 a year

The share you would hand off$44,160 a year

Hours your team gets back960 a year

See what we would build for this

Guides for architects, one job each

Architects in other big metros

MetroBusinessesAvg payRank of 387
Los Angeles1,662$101,4942nd
Chicago838$101,7083rd
Miami747$86,9855th
Dallas528$112,8927th
Houston358$98,25614th
Atlanta445$110,52110th
Washington509$108,5339th
Philadelphia422$100,54011th
Boston617$104,6866th

Where these numbers come from

From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 541310 (Architectural services), for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (22 counties). It counts businesses with paid employees in March 2022, so solo owners with no payroll are not in it. Average pay is total yearly payroll divided by employees. The calculator uses 50 working weeks and 2,080 hours a year. Page checked 2026-11-12.

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A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your architect to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.

Related businesses in New York

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